The integrated circuit package is the building block used in a high performance electronic system to provide applications for usage in products such as wireless communications equipment, military devices, industrial robotics, spacecraft, and a vast line of high performance products from consumer to state-of-the art high performance applications. The integrated circuit such as a chip or die contains circuitry that is designed to function in a high performance electronic system.
A lead frame is commonly used inside an integrated circuit package to provide many electrical connections between the circuitry within the package and the printed circuit board within the electronic system. The circuitry within a package commonly consists of integrated circuits built onto one side, such as the top, of a piece of semiconductor material such as silicon chip or die.
The other side of a silicon chip or die, the bottom for example, is mounted or typically bonded with an electrically insulating and thermally conductive adhesive, such as epoxy onto one side of a paddle. The opposing die surface is commonly free of any circuitry components such as silicon chips or dice.
The paddle is typically a semi-rigid, electrically and thermally conductive material, used for the handling and manufacturability of the integrated circuit chip or die within the confines of the integrated circuit package. The paddle often is electrically connected to the circuitry residing on a silicon chip or die. High performance circuitry has additional critical design needs that include the requirement to have many additional grounds or many additional power connections distributed on the chip or die.
The actual physical locations of the additional grounds or power connections are selected and based on the physical and performance needs of the various circuitry contained on the chip or die. The integrated circuits can typically have two types of connections. The first connection type is the circuit signal connections used to operate and perform tasks with the electronic system. The second connection type is the circuit power and the circuit ground connections used to deliver the energy, consisting of electrical current to and from the circuitry, enabling the circuitry to operate.
There exists an industry demand for high performance chip or die circuitry needing multiple power or ground connections that are non-restrictive in physical placement. Additionally providing the benefits of smaller package geometry, simplified design rules, multiple power supply voltages or ground references are capable of providing for more power or ground package connections.
Those of ordinary skill in the art are aware of the various benefits, which include performance and power management gains that result from flexible location and quantities of power and grounds, both on the die or chip and on the physical package. Attempts have failed to provide additional power and grounds while simplifying wiring design rules, improving circuitry performance, maintaining package signal connections, lowering package heights, increasing power management, and leveraging proven manufacturing techniques.
Thus, a need still remains for integrated circuit package system with many power and ground connections. In view of the ever-increasing commercial competitive pressures, along with growing consumer expectations and the diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace, it is critical that answers be found for these problems.
Additionally, the need to save costs, improve efficiencies and performance, and meet competitive pressures, adds an even greater urgency to the critical necessity for finding answers to these problems. Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.